“Future of Ukraine” 2018

Participants in the project included students from higher education institutions in Ukraine, as well as adult Ukrainian citizens pursuing Bachelor's or Master's degrees in engineering fields, regardless of the type of institution ownership or governance. 

The project aimed to motivate Ukrainian youth to improve the quality of engineering education, promote engineering as a profession, and implement creative ideas to strengthen the country’s prestige. Therefore, participants were students who felt capable of being effective and valuable team members in developing technologies of the future.

The competition was divided into three stages, each involving different non-standard “technical challenges.” Participants completed complex creative tasks incorporating additional modules in mathematics, physics, and IT, passed tests in fundamental technical disciplines, and defended motivation presentations in English.

During the first stage, students demonstrated their knowledge of mathematics, physics, and English through online testing.

The second stage took place in Kyiv and Kharkiv. The highlight of this stage was a challenging and engaging task: assisting the team of American aerospace engineer Elon Musk in developing перспективні ideas for Mars exploration.

The final stage of the festival included various types of tasks. A new “engineering challenge” for finalists was the development of an original комплексний device for water purification. Students also individually presented and defended their presentations on the topic “My Engineering Future” in English.

Based on the results of the final stage, ten of the best engineering students successfully presented their potential at the All-Ukrainian Engineering Talent Festival “Future of Ukraine 2018” and traveled overseas to fulfill their dream: visiting aircraft manufacturing facilities of the global aerospace giant Boeing and experiencing the atmosphere of America in various locations around Seattle.

The winners were:
Anastasiia Suslovets, Danylo Yermolov, Valerii Napolov, Ihor Kaliienko, Mykyta Leonidov, Dmytro Kolodiichyk, Anastasiia Litvinova (students of Zhukovsky National Aerospace University “Kharkiv Aviation Institute”), and Oleh Mytriashkin, Yevhen Bas, Maksym Kabanets (students of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute).

One of the world’s largest aerospace corporations, Boeing, welcomed the Ukrainian team to познакомити them with its production capabilities and technologies. The journey into the world of engineering innovation in the United States began at the Museum of Flight, the largest private aerospace museum located on the site of Boeing’s first factory.

The following day, students visited the Boeing Everett Factory, the largest aircraft assembly facility in the world, located near Seattle. There, the finalists had the opportunity not only to observe aerospace equipment but also to communicate with factory employees and management.

Another visit took place at the production facility in Renton, where the most popular narrow-body aircraft, Boeing 737 NG and its modifications, are manufactured.

During the trip, students visited many notable places to fully experience the atmosphere of an American city.

Festival participants shared their warm and emotional impressions of the trip. According to them, such experiences motivate them to improve their skills and contribute to the development of engineering in Ukraine.